Oct 29, 2010

Cathedral & John Connon School,Mumbai FDC from INDIA

The Cathedral & John Connon School is a co-educational, private school located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.It is considered as one of the finest schools in India.According to the Education World-C fore Survey of Schools 2009, the school has been ranked second in the all India ranking of the best schools in India.It was ranked first in the Western region as the most respected school and ranked first in India for its distinguished alumni which includes top industrialists, businessmen, politicians, celebrities, and even noble laureates.

The motto of the school is "Clarum Efficunt Studia" which means "Studies maketh famous"
In 1860 Bishop Harding and the Cathedral Chaplain decided to open a Grammar School within the walled city of Bombay which, along with a smaller establishment for girls, were the first of many strands that have joint together to form the Cathedral & John Connon School. A Choir School, established with the primary objective of providing choristers for the St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai, the first Anglican Church in Mumbai was founded in October, 1875. Meanwhile The Bombay Scottish Education Society was founded in 1866. The society put up a beautiful building on the Esplanade, and named it for Mr John Connon (then Chief Registrar of Bombay).
In 1878 a high school in Byculla, set up by the Bombay Diocesan Society, was merged with the Choir School to form the Cathedral High School. The present Senior School building, a majestic blend of Indian and Gothic architecture, was erected in 1896. A girls' school had been started in 1880.
Finally, in 1922, in a public meeting held at the Town Hall (the present Asiatic Society of Bombay library), a suggestion was put forward by the principal of the Cathedral Boys' School for the Cathedral Schools and the Scottish School to work together, instead of competing. The idea was well-received, and thus the Anglo-Scottish Education Society was conceived. The schools were re-organized into the Cathedral Boys' School, the Cathedral Girls' School, and the John Connon School.
In the 1960s co-education was still viewed with trepidation, and when in 1965, the Principal, Rev. Ridding, stated that the only way to solve the financial and logistical problems of the school was to make it co-educational, some people felt so strongly about it that they went to court to thwart the school's plans. Justice Lentin, a man famous for his courageous judgments, pronounced that the school had every right to merge if it so desired. The merger proceeded smoothly.

Remark:A good issue on the school topic by India post.Thanks to my friend Debasis for posting the letter on the issue date by Speed post.As usual India post personal has put the delivery seal on the front side and not in back.